'National Geographic' to Explore Online Pay Model

National Geographic — which last month picked up more National Magazine Awards than any other title, including best tablet magazine — is planning to introduce a paid, web-based version of its magazine later this year, Declan Moore, executive vice president of the National Geographic Society, tells Mashable.

The "web magazine" will be different from what appears on NationalGeographic.com, though some of the content will be the same. Think of it as a replica of Nat Geo's tablet edition, with all of its multimedia bells and whistles, but made for viewing in a web browser.

The move comes as other legacy publishers look for new (and less volatile) revenue opportunities beyond online advertising, which has thus far failed to come even remotely close to commanding the same sums as print advertisements once did.